Busing nurtured friendships

McAllister fondly remembers being bused to Wilson Junior High School, because she welcomed the opportunity to meet a diverse group of people. A very long bus ride, rather than proving a frustration, gave her the chance to solidify friendships.

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with Latrelle McAllister, June 25, 1998. Interview K-0173. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Full Text of the Excerpt

PG: And where did you go to school as you [microphone obstructed]. Where did you go to school before West Charlotte?
LM: Okay, well, because my mother was a teacher I didn’t have the benefit of going to the neighborhood elementary school. I went to school with her. I went to Druid Hills elementary school. University Park was right behind our house, really, but--. I could jump the fence, cross the fence and just go, maybe, three or four blocks. But, I went across town with my mother who taught. I spent one year at J. T. Williams Junior High School and two years—I was bussed to Wilson, which is now Wilson Middle School. But, it was Wilson Junior High at that time.
PG: What was that experience like?
LM: Oh, it was great. I enjoyed it. It was, as I remember, a fairly long bus ride, but it gave us an opportunity to socialize. And, for me, it was important because I got the opportunity to establish relationships with young people in my neighborhood. I hadn’t had that experience in elementary school. I really enjoyed it. It was fun. We were pretty wild. We probably would have been most bus drivers’ worst nightmare. But, it was fun. We walked to the bus stop together, came home together. So, it was interesting. And, it gave me a different--. A chance to talk with folks with different orientations. Not just of different races, but different economic classes, but really different orientations. So, I enjoyed that experience, as well.